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Eastern District of North Carolina

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Justice News

Protecting Houses of Worship Training Held Today in Cary

RALEIGH– Today, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina joined law enforcement and local area houses of worship in presenting training to security personnel from diverse faith communities on protecting religious institutions and houses of worship from violence. This one-day Protecting Houses of Worship Seminar was held at Colonial Baptist Church in Cary, North Carolina and was attended by nearly 450 people representing local churches, synagogues, temples, and mosques.

United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr. opened the training remarking, “Faith leaders typically have limited contact with local law enforcement agencies. Yet establishing a partnership before an emergency arises is a key component of a security plan. We are fortunate in that all across the Eastern District of North Carolina we have well trained and experienced law enforcement who want to help you. They want to ensure that you have the opportunity to worship and to do the work of your faith without fear of violence, without any difficulty and in complete safety. They want to partner with you.”

Through presentations and panel discussions, participantslearned about security awareness for places of worship, as well as the various means by which law enforcement provides support to protecting houses of worship. Attendees heard from members of the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, Apex Police Department, Wake County Sheriff’s Office, and Cary Police Department during this training. In order to foster continued discussion among the attendees, representatives of local area houses of worship participated in a panel during which they discussed their particular experiences managing security for their respective house of worship.

This training was designed to support one of the Attorney General’s priorities to ensure that all Americans feel free to worship in a place of their choosing without the fear of violence or intimidation.

The United States Attorney’s Office plans to hold additional such trainings in the future throughout the Eastern District of North Carolina.